TNG:TCF- Adaption
by CharlieGreene
Summary: 'When you're stuck in a universe where the love of your life is dead and you're in the wrong job, you know there can be very little sunshine left in the world.' Charlotte's double must adapt to life in an alternate universe.
1. Chapter 1

**The 'other Charlotte's' POV. Standard disclaimer, please r/r.  
**

* * *

When you're stuck in a universe where the love of your life is dead and you're in the wrong job, you know there can be very little sunshine left in the world.

C2 was finding this particularly true today. First of all, her replicator had given her herbal tea instead of coffee and she had had to reprogram it. The she got lost and found herself in Engineering for the umpteenth time that week.

As she back-tracked and finally asked the computer for directions, she went over her schedule in her head. They were charting a small nebula in the Hikari system, and later taking an inventory. Ugh, how she hated inventories. After work there was her session with Councillor Manx, which she really didn't want to go to. And then… she sighed. Her date with Ensign Leroy. Now he was someone she wouldn't want to get cosy with. She had been either not paying attention or delirious when she accepted his offer, which she was definitely cancelling. Which would leave her evening free. Which would probably mean a visit from Charlie.

She sighed again. Her double was always pooping thru to 'use the computer' or 'borrow this tool' or else it was 'I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I'd duck in'. It was an old joke that had long gone flat, but C2 laughed anyway, to give the impression of being happy. Which she wasn't. Which of course Charlie knew, but could do nothing about.

It wasn't that she hated Charlie. She didn't even dislike her. It was just that, no matter how she tried to smother the feeling, she was jealous. Insanely so. Which Charlie also knew. So the relationship between the girls was fragile, with Charlie carefully choosing her words and C2 always holding herself in (except for the few occasions when C2 would join Charlie in her own world for a therapeutic pillow fight).

As she entered her section, C2 noticed two female officers look at her, stop talking, and return to their consoles, where they threw glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking. This was not new. C2 knew that people talked about her behind her back. Well, they talked about Charlie, who they thought she was. She heard a few of the rumours going around. They said that she was drowning her sorrows about Data with work; that she was secluding herself and becoming antisocial. That her heart was broken beyond repair and that was why she refused to date. The latest was about her recent well-being, spread by those who had not been told of the cause of her visit to sickbay that fateful night. Some said that she had become sick and nearly died of heartbreak. Others said it was a suicide attempt for the same reason.

C2 laughed at such romantic nonsense, but it a way they were right about the dating. She had turned down nearly every offer made to her and cancelled the rest at the last minute. It just didn't seem right to date a man when she was in love with another- even if he was in another world and there was very little chance of seeing him again. Unconsciously, she was also reluctant to date because no man on the ship could hope to measure up to an android.

But it wasn't just dating, either; it was relationships in general. C2 was living in the future, and everyone on the ship was a stranger, including those she thought she knew. And her time was so taken up with work, study and Charlie that she had no time for friends. Well, maybe excluding Geordie. But things between her and Geordie had gotten awkward lately. She was quickly finding that relationships with humans were much more complex than with androids. It was unexpected, but like the workload and the people, she was getting used to it.

C2 sat down at her console, apologised to Lt. Finch for being late again, and started the work assigned. _I'm definitely cancelling that date later…_


	2. Chapter 2

Chap 2

"I just came by to use the computer."

C2 didn't even look up from her book. "'Backward technology' getting to you again?"

"Something like that." Charlie settled into her old desk and tapped the PC on. "We're looking for a new way to improve power efficiency. Maybe there's something here we haven't tried."

"You do know that's cheating?"

Charlie grinned. "Call it what you will, but it just might get me promoted."

"So, while I'm working my butt off trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing each day, you're getting promoted for secretly using future technology to improve your work ethic. Yeah, that sounds like a fair arrangement."

Charlie's expression changed to one of concern. "Sorry. How was work today?"

"Fine. We're charting some nebula somewhere, and I've pretty much done everything I need to for today, but we're having trouble identifying these pockets of gas." She chucked over a PADD, which Charlie deftly caught. "The gas is made up of unfamiliar chemicals, which Lt Finch and I are supposed to be looking up-"

"Hey, I recognise this. The gas is made up of 2 main elements, Metafisanine and… um… Chloronide, I think it was. Combined they're highly toxic to most life forms and is very rare- in fact, there's only one case of it in history. I'm not surprised the computer couldn't identify it."

"How do you know about it?"

"Extra reading, genius. I guess it's something they don't put in the database. I was lucky enough to go to a scientific library of mostly unimportant stuff on Col 4 when I was travelling with Papa, though I didn't think so at the time."

"Thanks, Charlie. I'll tell Finch-"

The door chimed, and without thinking, both girls called out 'come in'. In the split second before the door opened, the girls looked at each other, stricken, before C2 dived behind her chair, leaving Charlie frozen at the PC.

Lt Finch walked in and greeted the girl, then saw what she was wearing and stared. "Ensign, if you don't mind my asking, um, why are you wearing an old uniform?"

"I'm…er…I'm…" Charlie racked her brain for an answer, and came to the only one she could find. "I'm… playing dress up?"

"Playing…dress up," Finch repeated, embarrassed disbelief crossing his face. Trying to recover himself, he commented, "Well, um, you've got the colour wrong. Gold is Operations, Blue is Science."

"I'm quite aware of that, thanks…" Charlie counted the pips on his collar, "Lieutenant. Now, with all due respect, I am a little busy, so what is it you came for?"

"Oh, right, sorry, I was wondering whether you've identified those mysterious pockets of gas in the nebula…"

"Meaning you haven't been able to?"

Embarrassed silence.

"Ok, hang on." Charlie spent a few moments tapping on her PADD, then handed it to him. "You'll find it all there. Metafisanine and Chloronide, highly toxic, very rare. And no I'm not a genius, I read it in a book. Is that all?"

"Yes, thank you…" Finch stared at the PADD, then her.

"Well, bye then." Charlie wiggled her fingers in an impatient little wave.

He finally got the hint and left, and C2 popped her head out from behind the chair, looking ready to burst. "Playing dress up? Seriously?"

Charlie exploded. "Did you see his face?"

C2 nodded, giggling hysterically. "He's probably still wondering what happened!"

"He was so embarrassed!"

"And his reaction when you just casually gave him the information everyone was searching for…"

"And then I was like, bye!" Charlie wiggled her fingers again, sniggering. "Like, get out of my quarters and leave me alone! Guys! Can't take a hint."

The girl spent the next few minutes in hysterics before finally deciding to calm down. Charlie turned back to the PC and sighed. "Back to work again, I guess."

C2 replicated two coffees and set one on the desk for her. "I presume you like Vietnamese?"

"Ohhh, yes, I love it. Don't have it very often, though." She leaned forward, studying the screen. "Seriously, bypassing the secondary outlets actually works?"

"Apparently."

"I don't think we've ever tried it." Charlie took a quick gulp of coffee and winced as it burned her throat. She looked at the time in the corner of the screen and whistled. "Whew, the whole night's gone in the other universe. I must be going."

"Ok, see you next time."

Charlie emptied her coffee mug, dropped it in the recycling chute, and slipped through the gap to start work in the other universe, while C2 picked up her book, curled up in the chair, and started where she had left off.


End file.
